Jonny's way

[barkster1971]

Step by step VOLVO 940 TURBO BANG FOR BUCK REDBLOCK TUNING .
by JWatts performance (UK CONTRIBUTOR/UK content ) a complete how I done it guide :


For people in the UK it is Recommended you use a 1994 + b230fk lpt car but as a second option in UK a 1991 940 with b230ft doesn't by law require a cat ( will need gearbox and prop from the 1994 onwards car (m90)

This is a guide it is expected you understand some things and exercise common sense on others , each step leads to the next so for example :

•ive put a cone filter on stage 0 not because it works better at this point than a airbox but because later on you'll need to change the intake pipe as it gets sucked flat at higher boost and this won't fit the standard air box or the 3" maf .
• Ive also tried to include general maintenance at steps where this maintenance is going to be easiest done IE ive put to change the headgasket while the inlet and exhaust are removed , why do it twice ?
•I've listed waterpump at this step as it's hard to seal against the head without the head removed
•I've recommended colder plugs earlier than needed because I've assumed your going to go further
• I've put them in stages simply so it's easier to budget and so that you get the most for your money each time
•a wideband AFR gauge is always a good and recommended buy however up to stage 4 as long as you use premium fuel I've found everything to be fine .

Stage 0 :

Service & clean everything don't skimp this is the foundations for your build so build good foundations .

plugs ( bpr7es) , leads , oil , cone filter , oil filter , dizzy cap & arm , replace all vacum lines with silicon , new aux belts , flush coolant , replace fuel filter
( * ADD 10,000 SERVICE SHEET PICS *)
Stage 1 :

Over 200bhp

Above plus

boost controller ( prefere modified -31 garrett actuator ) @ 14 psi , V cam , 3" exhaust turbo back 3" intake ( rocker cover gasket , front & rear cam seals , cambelt )
( option of catch tank & oil breather mods )

Stage 2 :

250-275bhp

above plus

Ttv flywheel and 850R clutch , 15g /16t/( 18t /19t ,) (all excellent value for money and available in good condition second hand ) ported exhaust manifold collector , 440cc injectors , adjustable pressure regulator , 3" maf ( mk1 960 part ends 012 ) chips & chipable boxes ( try to keep fuel ecu as new as posible 984/983) 18 psi ( new inlet & exhaust manifold gaskets , new turbo drain oil o ring new head gasket (elring) new waterpump and seal ) recomend braided turbo oil feed line .

* Always fit injectors & maf to raise fuel cut rather than just chipping , never chip first then raise boost on the standard injectors and maf , you will have no production from running the injectors out of head room .

Stage 3 :

300 bhp crank
(* ADD DYNO SHEETS *)
above ( including recommended ) plus

, big intercooler, air con water radiator or Ali rad , 18t /19t turbo , K cam or kg trimming ect , walbro/ bosch fuel pump , oil catch tank & vacuum pipe one way valve essential ( use a diesel non return valve in pcv vacuum line of it can suck but not blow ) , oil cooler and filter relocate recommended as it makes accessing turbo return much easier . 20+ psi

Every thing I can think of that gave me 306 bhp and 334lbft at the crank : Silver saloon

Internally stock B230FT high pressure turbo engine later model 'air con ' water radiator conversion and electric fan , home made stainless 'long' 3" airflow meter , tdo4hl-18t turbocharger from v70 awd R ,-31 cosworth actuator adapted to fit , slotted Volvo K cam alloy vernier pulley advanced 3 deg ,later round tooth belt conversion , heat reflective wrapped solid boost pipes , 3" solid intake , stainless cone filter with cold air feed , mikalor clamps , bp7es plugs gapped @ 0.28 thou, 3" thick eBay alloy intercooler , 440cc 'light blue ' cosworth injectors , oil catch tank , HDI Electronic boost controller set @ 27 psi ,socketed gold ezk ignition ecu with 7000rpm ignition chip ,unimobilised 984 fuel ecu and 7000rpm chip, hand ported exhaust manifold , TTV racing billet 5.5kg flywheel , 850R clutch , later m90 gearbox conversion , 3 inch titanium heat wrapped stainless downpipe , decat , leading into full 3" stainless exhaust with free flow silencer .
305.9 bhp 334.1lbft



Stage:4

300 BHP wheel

dottin i's and crossing T's as far as standard internals should take you

Above including recommended plus

Ported 531 head big valves ect concentrate on exhaust side flow , 3" throttle body . Vented rocker cover for oil breather , low cost 18/19t billet wheel 3" exhaust housing and wasted spark .
OR

At this stage 0.63 t3 or similar turbo IF YOUR PLANNING ON GOING NO FURTHER (as you'll require further turbo upgrade stage 5 + ) is recommended , same / more power , less stress , less heat , better flow .
Similarly consider aftermarket management rather than wasted spark ect .

Further modification :

Hypothetical depends on goals / requirements / usage ect no longer 'cheep' up to individual .

400hp+

Rods & Pistons , big turbo , hx35/40 borgwarner s200 , standalone management ( megasquirt, vems ) 650cc + injectors , consider 16v conversion , tubular exhaust manifolds , plenum inlet manifold .

( * ADD PHOTOS *)

AIRBOX:

•a stripped airbox with a new oem filter or better a free flowing panel filter is great if your planning to stay at stage zero/one especially in a hot climate

• a 3" intake is hard to fit to it and leaves the airbox as a bottleneck .

•I've put cone filter on stage 0 as it saves you wasting money on something you may chuck away later.

•A 3" solid intake and cone filter sounds great and will save you wasting Money on silly aftermarket dumpvalve a that make the standard computer confused .

•It eliminates 2 90 degree bends and replaces another 90 degree bend with a 45 .

CAM CHOICES :

Anything other than a T , A is still pretty weak so avoid ( 740 turbo ) , H / K is peaky with long legs but lumpy and annoying in slow traffic not good for a auto and hard to find & needs modifying for the cam mounted distributor H is better than K , V has nearly as much lift as K with less duration than both at the same lsa so less overlap and equal inlet and exhaust duration works very well in a standard car with a boost increase and completely changes the way the car drives .
http://www.turbobricks.com/resources...ontent=camspec

Chassis modification ( the cheep way ) :

Early SE and wentworth models always have a eaton g80 locking diff , later 2.3 high pressure turbo and sports editions also have lockers , these can be modified to lock up at higher speeds ...
http://turbobricks.com/mods.php?content=art0027

It's also worth checking these models for a front chassis under brace , this sharpens up the handling no end .
The front top mounts can be modified to give more camber by simply undoing the front bolt , hitting the stud out then pushing the top of the strut over until I tout he's the body then redrilling the hole and putting the stud back in .
Saloon models are fitted with a thicker rear anti roll these can be doubled up either as two saloons or an estate and saloon to give 4 different variations , tune to your taste .
estates have stiffer standard rear springs .
Adjustable front drop links can easily made by welding a rose joint of the correct size ( ***) to the standard upper section .

Random :

Cars with air con have a bigger standard radiator and intercooler .

There is a row of lives and earths under the fuse box with spade connectors .

Porting the exhaust manifold at the turbo flange can make the car spool a lot quicker this can be done easily by using a angle grinder with a worn out small diameter grinding disc .

MITSUBISHI TD04 TURBOS :
Pros : cheep ,readily available, often in good condition for age , quick spool easy to fit .
Cons : small , restrictive , old technology .
Alternatives : T3 variations.

The Mitsubishi tdo4 range of turbos is used on various different Volvos over the years , the standard fitment to almost all 940's was the td04 13c .
,Volvo 850 t5's used the td04 15g earlier ones with a exhaust flange that bolts up to a 940 downpipe , it is a very small outlet and not recommended for a car that is more than lightly tuned .
T5R's and auto V70Rr's use the td04 16t with a larger flat flange outlet and manual V70R's the td04 18t or 19t the latter is available with a 3" outlet exhaust housing.


Fitting :
The housings of the turbos will need rotating in order to fit in the stock 940 orientation inlet side...
( you will need , large circlip pliers , 10 MM socket & ratchet , rubber mallet ,wire cutters , 4x m8 nuts , a 9mm drill bit & drill , new genuine bottom oil o ring )

•Firstly clean the turbo , you don't want any dirt inside it , Bung the oil and water connections and the inlet and outlet so you don't wash dirt inside .
• With a large pair or circlip pliers take the circlip out in the back of the compressor housing and gently tap the housing off with a rubber mallet or similar .
•Remove the small locating pin with a pair of wire cutters .
•Reassemble .

Exhaust side ...
•Remove the 10mm bolt and clamp .
•tap off exhaust housing .
•remove pin .
•take out the two exhaust studs that are in the manifold flange by locking two m8 nuts against each other .
•drill out the thread so the bolt you removed passes through unobstructed.
•throughly clean the exhaust housing and reassemble .

You'll need to make a actuator bracket , a old aircon bracket with the actuator welded to it makes a nice neat job and It helps if you buy a braided oil supply line it makes it so much easier to fit the turbo .


Making an exhaust :

You'll need in this order front to back in whatever size you chose :
A turbo exhaust flange
( if using 3" a 2.5-3" reducer )
2x90 bends .
2.5 meters of straight pipe .
2x45 .
An over axle bend .
A silencer.
A exhaust tip .
2x stainless boot springs .
2x v band clamps .
Something to make hangers out of 1/4" bar ect .
Pipe joiners x2
( exhaust dimensions to be added )
Downpipe :

Attach the flange to the turbo and tack the reducer on a small straight then first another straight 90 then a straight with a joiner on the end with your boot springs either side , this is in place of a flexi .
Main exhaust :
Long straight , 45 then another 45 to kick it up the step in the floor , over axle , v band , small straight silencer .


MAKING A 3" MAF :

You'll need ...
A very hot soldering iron , a small Philips screw driver , a standard airflow meter , a length of 3" pipe 10 inches long , high strength body mastic a steel rule .

•Remove the cover on the top of the airflow meter .
* desolder the 6 connectors
* Remove the 6 screws .
* Take the element out of the pipe .
* Cut a hole ( xxx)
* Mount the element in the exact center of the pipe using the steel rule .
* Secure with body sealant


My build thread I started years ago :
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=129758

HD pictures of my silver 944 :
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6b3t1m9f9...1FPy2OSsa?dl=0
TurboBricks | High Performance Volvo Club
Turbobricks - High Performance Volvo Club
turbobricks.com

Ppc feature

Bought on the 2nd of July this year this is the second 940 turbo I have owned and tuned , this one by far the better , as soon as I saw it on eBay the old project ( a 1999 saab 93 aero hot ) went up for sale and I was there picking it up the next weekend , a factory sport model with all the toys , low milage with volvo service stamps up to date in the book from the coolest dealer ( Speeds volvo ) and importantly a saloon and a seller who I guess diddnt know what he had just couldn't be turned down. I've used all I learnt from the first but this time built it into my loverly mint low milage car as apposed to the normal 200,000 mile examples that just throw up problems on a weekly basis , I've also set myself a strict budget of : as little as possible. so everything was begged borrowed or stole , makes it more fun and satisfying that way .
First job was to get back all my old parts from my old car I had sold some years previously , much easier than it sounds as I had sold it to a friend who had subsequently pulled the back axle out playing with a certain red exotic sports car then reshelled it into another 940 along with various improvements and then resold it on to a close friend who had laid it up while deciding exactly what to do , one offer of fixing another of his fleet for free and it was mine .
It now had a bigger turbo (18t rather than 15g ) and volvo K cam fitted along with a adjustable alloy vernier and the bilstien b4's I had fitted changed for b8's but the big alloy intercooler remained sat in the boot along with the Cosworth light blue 440 cc injectors , larger airflow meter and some other parts . I quickly fitted it all to my car and added some other homemade chassis parts such as 5mm wheel spacers double rear anti roll bar using the spare bar from the donor , rose jointed drop links for the front antiroll bar and a home adapted volvo under chassis brace that now triangulates to the engine cross member and a strut brace that goes back to the bulkhead and incorporates a mount for an engine torque damper all the tubing handily scavenged from my friends childhood climbing frame , I then ran it at 18 psi along with a standard exhaust with the cat removed and a free flowing backbox which proved to be very restrictive but not restrictive enough to stop it from shattering the clutch cover into four pieces , game on ! I had already sourced a later m90 box from the reshelled donor and although there are a number of clutch options I decided seing as the clutch was always a weak point of the old build , a TTV racing lightweight billet flywheel coupled to a genuine volvo 850R clutch was the way to go the most expensive part of the build but well worth it . I also fabricated a 3" stainless down pipe which I heat wrapped and 3" stainless exhaust and also replaced the faulty 960 3" maf for a standard one housed in a piece of 3" stainless pipe increasing the length to improve the smoothness of the airflow but ran out of money when it came to the backbox , surprisingly not as loud as you'd think or so I kept telling myself , I put the car back together putting the gearbox in on my drive in the rain as the garage is full of other broken cars and after reflective wrapping the boost pipes I got to drive it and it was quick , I gained another 4psi just from doing away with the restrictive exhaust and the new 5.5kg flywheel made the engine spin up so quickly compared to the heavy old volvo one , the result was epic ...like off the clock in 4th gear epic ! A couple of weeks later after literally making a small child cry with fear I decided my exhaust may need a silencer after all , Que. my friends car fleet and some mot work , lucky for both of us he had a 3" stainless box doing nothing , one swap later and I had a much quieter volvo and he had a mot .
Next step was some new chips , a fellow 'turbobicks' member in England helped with these and they had a bonus of a 7000rpm red line pretty essential with the cam I have and I also added a adjustable fuel pressure reg borrowed from a mate just so I could tweek it if needs be .
I'd given Courtneys in north walsham some parts the previous year and remembered being told that I could have a favour in return so I went and asked for some dyno time and after arranging a date and time I sat there nervous for two weeks waiting , the day arrived and we strapped the car down the numbers that came up were 305.9 bhp 334.1lb/ft also 27psi guess my boost gauge is wrong ,

So there you go 300hp for around £1200 including the car itself with a little hard work , and a few good friends helping makes it pretty good value for money , as with all good 'hot rods' brakes remain factory standard but to be honest they are brilliant , as does the body work with the exception of later lights which makes it a brilliant sleeper and great fun for surprising people , big thanks to Turk , Danny , my mum , dad and girlfriend for all their support and help oh and my mums hover for sacrificing it's pipe for my radiator top hose .

[jonnyf90]

Brilliant post.

Even brilliant-er name